DOK is Delft’s local public library – but my, what a library! Cool building, forward-thinking staff, lovely setting … and lots of amazing technology, too. So I took some video!

This video highlights some of the neat projects DOK creates for their community. In each of them, you’ll notice a nice melding of technology, content, and community. Whether they’re working with a Microsoft Surface, creating a video, or setting up gaming in the kids area, they always include content and community connections.

I think the best example of this is highlighted towards the end of the video, when Erik Boekesteijn explains how their art gallery works with local schools to remotely display art in the classroom. Students can view a digitized version of the painting on a TV monitor setup in the classroom – they might see 20-30 works of art, have classroom discussions, etc. Then they take a trip to the library to see the actual painting.

Connecting community to content through technology – nicely done, DOK!

In their spare time, they recently created This Week in Libraries. It’s a weekly video show that does exactly what the show’s name claims – they talk about what’s going on this week in libraries … globally. Interesting concept! Even cooler (to me, anyway) – they create the show in the Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam’s (Amsterdam Public Library) podcast studio … how many libraries can say they have one of those?

I was on last week’s show, along with Michael Stephens and Helene Blowers. We talked about the conferences we just spoke at, digital innovation, the iPad and ebooks, change, and the recent budget woes of many US libraries. It was a fun conversation – watch and see if you agree.

Anyway – I suggest checking out This Week in Libraries, and subscribing if you find it useful (I have subscribed).

Two years ago, Delft bought a mobile recording facility – to teach kids how to tell their own stories via sound and video.

These guys do a fun presentation. They talked about the documentary they made, visiting libraries across America. Their first stop was New York – so Eric asked if anyone was in the audience from New York Public Library – someone raised her hand, so she was invited onstage to site with the speakers… and was offered a cookie, too (she was actually from Georgia…).

They showed snippets of their documentary, then spoke, then more snippets, etc.

Next, they invited Matt Gullett on stage and talked about PLCMC’s story-making initiatives

At Imaginon, they measure the creative things that come out of it in addition to things like door counts. And they tell and share stories to show usefulness.

Then they showed a clip of library science students, and invited a library science student on stage…

One skill all librarians need – from the MLS student – “the ability to adapt to change.”